Milam Co., TX - Cemeteries - Jewish Cemetery
***********************************************
This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
Archives by: Lynna Kay Shuffield
Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgenwebarchives.org
***********************************************
Longitude / Latitude Location: 30° 39.102 N x 096° 59.921 W
LOCATION: From US 77 in Rockdale take S. Main (FM908) south, crossing
the Mopac Railroad / Union Pacific Railroad tracks, at this point, S. Main
becomes Oak St., about 100-yards south of the Old City Cemetery is White St.,
turn left. The cemetery entrance is in the southwest corner of the block.
Surname -- Given Name -- Date of Birth -- Date of Death -- Note
Block Henrietta 29 Jun 1866 07 Oct 1892 daughter of Theresa & Hyman
Block Hyman 22 Dec 1825 18 Jan 1899 husband of Theresa Block
Block Theresa (Therelia) 21 Jan 1835 29 Jul 1898 wife of Hyman Block
Cohen Samuel 13 Apr 1835 24 Aug 1882 Need to locate relatives
Cohn Morris S. 16 Apr 1856 30 Apr 1939 Need to locate relatives
Collins Annie 12 Apr 1889 18 Sep 1900 Need to locate relatives
Crown Isaac 01 Jan 1858 04 Jun 1888 Killed in Mundine Hotel Fire
Emsheimer Isaac ca. 1848 29 Apr 1884 Suicide – No known family
Goldsticker George 20 Sep 1882 22 Aug 1883
son of Henry & Gabrella (Philipson) Goldsticker
Goldsticker Henry 04 Jul 1843 09 Aug 1888
Confederate Veteran - Private - Lavaca Guards, Light Infantry
Company, 24th Brigade,Texas State Troops
Kestenbaum Jacob 09 Mar 1874 30 Apr 1932 Need to locate family
Loewenstein Family
Loewenstein Arthur 30 Sep 1876 08 Aug 1877
Oldest known burial in cemetery - son of Benjamin & Carrie Loewenstein
Loewenstein Benjamin 02 Mar 1845 11 May 1923 husband of Carrie Malsch Loewenstein
Loewenstein Carrie 29 Sep 1851 08 Jun 1932 Maiden Name: Malsch
Loewenstein Joseph E. 26 May 1875 21 Jul 1908 son of Benjamin & Carrie Loewenstein
Lowenstein H. V., Dr. unknown abt. 31 Aug 1904
No gravemarker – Newspaper articles about burial in Jewish Cemetery –
husband of Sarah Cohen Lowenstein - no death certificate
Malsch Salomine 04 Nov 1826 16 Nov 1907
wife of Matthew Malsch and mother of Carrie Malsch Loewenstein
Philipson Hattie 07 May 1881 04 Jun 1881
niece of Henry Goldsticker – daughter of Ludwig & Sarah (Levy) Philipson Rosenfield Rosa 26 Jun 1877 26 May 1886
daughter of Joseph S. & Therese Rosenfield
Steinberg Abe 08 Apr 1843 25 Feb 1928
husband of Annie Huderlik Steinberg - NOTE: Gravemarker shows year of death
as 1929, this is an error. Death certificate and obituary both indicate date of death
Jewish Cemetery
Rockdale, Milam County, Texas
Prepared by Lynna Kay Shuffield, November 2002
SNYPOSIS: The Jewish Cemetery in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas is an integral part of the
history of Texas as well as serving as an example of the pioneer
spirit of the early Jewish immigrants and their commitment to their faith.
On 11 November 1878, the Hebrew Benevolent Association (the "Association") purchased 22-acres
of land in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas, from the Texas Land Company to establish a Jewish
Cemetery.(1) Today, almost 125-years later, the Association is no longer in existence, but
the deed remains in the name of the Association.
The earliest documented burial is Arthur Loewenstein, age 10-months and 8-days, the second
son of Benjamin and Carrie Malsch Loewenstein. Arthur was born on 30 September 1876 in
Rockdale and died on 8 August 1877, 15-months prior to the purchase of the land by the Association.
Arthur's father was a prominent merchant and businessman in the community. Benjamin and his
brother, Joseph opened for business in a tent on Wednesday, 24 December 1873, before the
International & Great Northern Railroad reached Rockdale in January 1874. When the railroad
came to Rockdale, it was the end of
the line and community could only be characterized as a new unsettled western tent town.(2)
On 8 May 1874, an election was held in which a majority of voters favored the incorporation
of Rockdale and in early June or July the justice declared, "the inhabitants of the town of
Rockdale are incorporated." One square mile whose center would be the intersection of Bell
and Main would be known as Rockdale.(3)
"While in the Austin area, [in 1879, Charles] Wessolowsky visited the Jews in nearby
communities. In Rockdale, there were 100 Jews and a B'nai B'rith lodge whose members planned
to inaugurate a Sunday school. However, there was disagreement over rituals. Wessolowsky
reported Asome of them still cling and hold fast to the doctrines and dead forms of the
so-called chasid (pietist), while others require and ask for 'progress' . . ."(4)
During the 1880s, there was a Jewish Community in Rockdale. In 1884, the Rockdale Jewish
School Community was established and served until the expansion of public schools.(5)
In March 1884 Rockdale celebrated the Bar Mitzvah Henry Kaiser, son of Mr. & Mrs. Kaiser.
According to an article about the event published in the Galveston Daily News, "the best
people of the city [Rockdale] were assembled. The feast was, in point of abundance and
excellence, one of the finest ever spread at a private residence in Rockdale. Master Henry,
in an admirable address, acquitted himself nobly, and received the hearty plaudits(6) of
all. . . . Champagne flowed in abundance and it was a late hour when the last of the guests
departed. Mr. Kaiser is one of our leading merchants and the ovation tendered by the large
assemblage on this occasion was a fitting tribute to an enterprising citizen."(7)
The only known suicide in the cemetery is Isaac Ensheimer, age 35, who died on 29 April 1884.
He was employed by Abe Steinberg, who is also buried in the cemetery. Isaac died by taking
chloroform and morphine and in the note he left said, "Disappointment in man has brought me to
the long sleep. Please bury me decently."(8)(9) The primary reason Isaac makes the plea in his
note is that according to Rabbi Shraga Simmons, "Judaism regards suicide as a criminal act.
Someone who commits suicide is considered a murderer. It matters not whether he kills someone
else or himself. His soul is not his to extinguish."(10) Therefore, Isaac's burial was in
keeping with someone who committed suicide, as he is buried in a separate part of the cemetery
along the fence-line.
Henry Goldsticker died on 09 August 1888 of Bright’s Disease.(11)(12) He was a Confederate
Veteran having served in the Lavaca Guards (of Lavaca County, Texas), 24th Brigade, Texas
State Troops. During the Civil War, the Texas Legislature enacted laws and provided funds to
organize the Texas State Troops, which were structured into companies of men to provide a
frontier defense. Although organized like military units, these men were not part of the
Confederate States Army.
Henry Goldsticker’s son George and niece, Hattie Philipson are also buried in the cemetery.
Hattie is the daughter of Ludwig and Sarah (Levy) Philipson. Henry’s wife was Gabriella Philipson
Goldsticker, sister of Ludwig.
One of the more tragic burials in the cemetery is Isaac Crown who died in the Mundine Hotel
Fire in which 12 people were killed. In 1880 John Mundine of Lexington built a 3-story brick
structure on the corner of Main and Railroad streets, the present site of McVoy's Grocery Store
in Rockdale. The hotel opened in 1881 under the management of Dr. & Mrs. W. A. Brooks and soon
became the social center of the town. But on June 8, 1888, the Mundine Hotel was destroyed
in the most disastrous fire in the history of Milam County. (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19)
The Loewenstein family constitutes a large number of the burials in the cemetery. Benjamin
Loewenstein, (20) the patriarch of the family died in 1934 when he was hit by an automobile
while crossing the street in Rockdale.(21) His other family members buried in the cemetery
include his wife, Carrie Malsch Loewenstein who died as a result of a fall in her home. (22) (23)
Other family members include Joseph E. Loewnstein, Jr., who was named for Ben’s brother, Joseph
Loewenstein and Carrie’s mother, Salomine Malsch is also buried within the family plot. (24)
The Jewish Cemetery continued to serve the community until the last burial of Morris Cohn on
30 April 1939 and there are 19 marked graves and two unmarked graves.
FOOTNOTES
(1) Milam County Deed Records, Vol. E2, p. 22-23.
(2) Marshall, Ida Jo (ed.), A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874-1974, p. 122
(3) Ibid., p. 2.
(4) Winegarten, Ruthe and Cathy Schechter, Deep in the Heart of Texas: The Lives and Legends
of Texas Jews. Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 1990, p. 63.
(5) Milam County Deed Records, Vol. 13, p. 302-303
(6) Plaudit - A round of applause or enthusiastic expression of approval or praise.
(7) Galveston Daily News, Tues., 4 March 1884, p. 1, c. 6
(8) Dallas Weekly Herald, Thur., 1 May 1884, p. 1, c. 7
(9) San Antonio Daily Express, Wed., 30 Apr 1884, p. 1, c. 2
(10) Simmons, Shraga, Ask the Rabbi. 20 Nov 2002 .
(11) Galveston Daily News, 18 Aug 1888, p. 3, c. 1
(12) Bright’s Diease - Acute or chronic inflammation of the kidneys.
(13) Texas State Troops Service Records, 1861-1865, Texas Adjutant General's Department.
Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library
and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.
(14) Marshall, p. 10-11.
(15) “Eleven Persons Perish,” Galveston Daily News, Tues., 5 June 1888, p. 1, c. 3.
(16) “Desolation and Death,” Galveston Daily News, Wed., 6 June 1888, p. 5, c. 1.
(17) “Gloom at Taylor,” Galveston Daily News, Wed., 6 June 1888, p. 5, c. 1 & 2.
(18) “A Hotel Horror,” Philadelphia Public Ledger, Tues., 5 June 1888, p. 1.
(19) “Eleven Persons Perish,” Philadelphia Inquirer, Tues., June 5, 1888, p. 8.
(20) Cooper, George, M., “The Family of Benjamin Loewenstein.” (Master’s thesis, Sam Houston
State Universtiy, Dec. 1994).
(21) “Funeral of Ben Loewenstein,” Rockdale Reporter, 27 Dec 1934, p. 1, c. 5 & p. 3, c. 1.
(22) “Mrs. Loewenstein Dies,” Rockdale Reporter, 8 Jun 1932, p. 1, c. 7.
(23) “Mortuary – Mrs. B. Loewenstein,” Rockdale Reporter, 16 Jun 1932, p. 2, c. 1.
(24) “At a Ripe Old Age,” Rockdale Reporter, 21 Nov 1907, p. 7, C. 1 & 2.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“A Hotel Horror - A Texas Hotel Burned and Eleven Persons Perish in the Flames – A Philadelphian
Among the Victims,” Philadelphia Public Ledger, Tues., 5 June 1888, p. 1.
“At a Ripe Old Age – Mrs. Salomine Malsch Gently Falls Asleep at the Age of 81,” Rockdale
Reporter, 21 Nov 1907, p. 7, c. 1 & 2.
Batte, Lelia M., History of Milam County, Texas. San Antonio, TX: Naylor Co., 1956.
Cooper, George M. “The Family of Benjamin Loewenstein: Jewish Immigrants to Southern Milam
County.” Masters of Arts thesis, Sam Houston State University, Dec. 1994.
Dallas Weekly Herald, Thur., 1 May 1884, p. 1, c. 7
“Desolation and Death - Rockdale Enshrouded with a Mantel of Gloom - The Earnings of Years
Wiped Out and an Appalling Loss of Life - Description of the
Hotel - Disposition of Charred Bodies,” Galveston Daily News, Wed., 6 June 1888, p. 5, c. 1.
“Eleven Persons Perish - But Two Occupants of a Rockdale Hotel Saved - A Town Stricken with
Grief Over the Result of a Disastrous and Most Fearful Fire -
The People Burned – Details,” Galveston Daily News, Tues., 5 June 1888, p. 1, c. 3.
“Eleven Persons Perish - Burning of a Hotel at Rockdale, Texas, Yesterday Morning - Only Two
of the Inmates Saved - Vain Efforts to Save the Others - Mystery
Surrounding the Affair - Pemberton Pierce, of Philadelphia, a Victim,” Philadelphia Inquirer,
Tues., June 5, 1888, p. 8.
“Funeral of Ben Loewenstein is Held Today - Death on Christmas follows accident, Night of
December 1st,” Rockdale Reporter, 27 Dec 1934, p. 1, c. 5 & p. 3, c. 1.
Galveston Daily News, Tues., 4 March 1884, p. 1, c. 6.
Galveston Daily News, 18 Aug 1888, p. 3, c. 1.
“Gloom at Taylor,” Galveston Daily News, Wed., 6 June 1888, p. 5, c. 1 & 2.
Holder, Perry C., 150 Years of Cemetery Records in Milam County (Texas). Houston, Texas:
Armstrong Co., Inc., 1991.
Holman, Norinne Holder, 170 Years of Cemetery Records in Milam County, Texas. Austin, Texas:
Armstrong Printing, Inc., 2001.
Marshall, Ida Jo (ed.), A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874-1974. Rockdale, Texas: The
Rockdale Reporter, 1974.
Milam County Deed Records, Volumes E2 and 207, Milam County, Texas.
“Mortuary – Mrs. B. Loewenstein,” Rockdale Reporter, 16 Jun 1932, p. 2, c. 1.
“Mrs. Loewenstein Dies in Hospital at Waco Wednesday,” Rockdale Reporter, 8 Jun 1932,
p. 1, c. 7.
Simmons, Shraga, Ask the Rabbi. 20 Nov 2002 .
Shuffield, Lynna Kay, Milam County, Texas: Jewish Cemetery of Rockdale. Houston, Texas:
L. K. Shuffield, 2002.
Teter, Gertrude M. and Donald L., Texas Jewish Burials Alphabetically by Name. Austin,
Texas: Texas Jewish Historical Soc., 1997.
Texas State Troops Service Records, 1861-1865, Texas Adjutant General's Department.
Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and
Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.
Winegarten, Ruthe and Cathy Schechter, Deep in the Heart of Texas: The Lives and Legend
s of Texas Jews. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press, 1990.